Intercom systems

Does anyone out there have an M&S intercom system? Have you ever had any problems getting the radio to work? Ours will not tune in any stations. The intercom function works, though.

 

FWIW ... I've never seen those things work outside of the model home . You would think, since from another post you said you were in a former model, that it would have been working, but you're the second owner, right ??

I'd see if the manufacturer has any information on that system to locate the antenna connections.

 

Apparently it has a built-in antenna... M&S's customer support told me that the "RF tuner" (or the transformer or a fuse, to narrow it down!) might be dead. We have a big antenna in the attic space, but my husband thinks it's a TV antenna (although why they'd put a TV antenna in a 2000-built home...).

A funny story regarding the intercom system: the first owner told us that an intercom in one of the bedrooms wasn't working right, so Van Metre's solution was to -- wait for it! -- install ANOTHER intercom six feet away from the broken one.

 

9 times out of 10, the radio dies in those things ... the TV antenna may be for HDTV reception.

 

on that note has anyone bought an intercom system that is wireless that works?

 

Kinda sorta.
I bought a 4-unit cordless telephone set (Panasonic). It includes an intercom function. I've tried several corded and wireless intercoms over the years and most of them are crap. The Panasonic phones/intercoms work great and have an amazing battery life. I only wish they could handle more than 4 phones to a base station. Intercom only works between two units at a time, there is no broadcast to all stations feature.

Oddly, even the corded intercoms (the ones that transmit over the electrical power cord), don't work in my house. I finally found out why: the electrical system includes filters that prevent "interference" on one circuit from affecting other circuits. As long as both intercoms are plugged into the same circuit breaker, they work great. I even tried it with an extension cord from the basement to the second floor. Move one intercom power cord to a different circuit breaker and the signal is unuseable.

--- John B.

 

ooooh, it's a feature then, not a bug!